How To Build The Easiest Capsule Wardrobe

THIS is it. How to build the easiest capsule wardrobe that will last you forever and you can start with what you already have. In fact, amongst all of those clothes you never wear, you probably already have a capsule wardobe. This is the only post you’ll need to read…

7 of the most worm pieces in my own wardrobe

*All photos are of my own collection and wardrobe.

PART ONE

First, what is a capsule wardrobe?

A capsule wardrobe is a collection of curated, thoughtfully selected pieces that can be paired together to make endless different and cohesive outfits which fit your personal style.

Why would you want a capsule wardrobe?

• No morning decision fatigue

• Saves you more money

• It’s more sustainable

• You can invest in higher quality clothing

• Much less clutter

The “4 musts” before you begin:

1. Know your colour palette: NO, it doesn’t need to primarily be neutral tones if that isn’t what feels right for you. For example, If you primarily wear red, blue and black, lean into that if those are colours that make you feel like yourself. Equally, if you wear a lot of orange, fluorescent pink and grey and they’re colours that make you feel good, go with that.

   
   

   

   This is my colour palette, the colours that I wear the most frequently and tend to look for when shopping

   
   

2. Only buy pieces that you are truly in love with:

   
   

   being stylish is chic, being trendy is not.

   
   

   The exception to this rule, of course is your basics, more on that in point 4.

   
   

3. Establish YOUR staples: If you’ve heard through the grape vine that you simply must have a leather jacket in your capsule wardrobe that doesn’t fit with your tastes, then you simply don’t need a leather jacket. If a blue and white quilted jacket does feel like something you’ll wear over and over for years a years, THAT is one of YOUR staples.

   
   

   

   My current most worn jacket which you’d have to pry out of my cold, dead hands

   
   

4. Establish your BASICS: basics are your socks, pants, tights, bodysuits, bras etc. You don’t necessarily need to be absolutely in love with these pieces, these are just the back bone of your wardrobe, the absolute essentials.

   
   

   I added body suits to that list because I personally wear one everyday, all year round and I swear by the Zara range. I have some body suits from Zara that I’ve had for years that are still in really good wearable condition.

   
   

You knew all of that, I know.

Building the best capsule wardrobe is an ongoing process. It takes great patience. Your tastes will change, your body will change, your wardrobe will change.

You’re not going to be able go out and buy a perfectly curated capsule wardrobe today and put the idea to bed

Your wardrobe should be a collection of pieces that you have bought with intention, pieces that you’ve gathered over time because they make you feel like yourself.

Xander Torres calls this ‘sauce’. You’re clothes should have sauce. They should be lived in, they should be a little worn, there’s nothing more chic than a wardrobe with sauce.

An example of “sauce”. This piece is loved but most importantly, LIVED in

Buying a dozen new pieces from a fast fashion chain and wearing them once will never even take you close to having “sauce”.

A wardrobe with sauce needs to brew with time like a fine wine…

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PART TWO

The guide: in 6 steps

1// Have a brutal clear out

Throw every single item of clothing you own into a pile and ruthlessly put anything you never wear into bin bags.

If you have siblings, let them have a rummage (chances are good that they’ll find something in there that they had their eye on anyway) or simply take the clothes to the charity shop (or good will).

Someone may have been searching for a sleeveless houndstooth shirt with a tartan weave for years and it’s been in your wardrobe, unworn this whole time

One of my favourite pieces in my wardrobe that I have by chance

If you do this properly, then you’re likely left with a capsule wardrobe anyway.

If this feels too overwhelming for you, you can do this overtime but it will still require work and brainpower.

Clear a space, or a drawer in your wardrobe and start moving low traffic items to that area.

If you dont think of them, they need to go. If you find yourself looking for it, there’s room to reconsider keeping that piece.

2// DON’T go out and buy the capsule items “list”

You need your own list.

For example: I have broad shoulders and have found over the years that a raglan sleeve design looks much better on me and i feel more comfortable with it. Now, when I’m looking for jumpers and sweaters in particular, I’ll keep my eye out for raglan sleeves exclusively. I always gravitate towards blue so there is a lot of it in my wardrobe, it is a staple shade.

Note the raglan sleeve, the seam runs from the under arm to the neck line

Another example of a raglan sleeve

Another example: High waisted, wide leg trousers have always been my go to, even as this style fades in and out of fashion (*More on style VS trend in a future article…) air-go, I’ll only look out for high waisted, wide leg trousers.

Work this out BEFORE you go on a mad panicked shopping spree. Your capsule wardrobe shouldn’t and WON’T look like anybody else’s.

Tips on how to do this:

• The next time you wear a piece of your clothing and remember how uncomfortable you feel when you’re wearing it, take the time to work out why.

  
  

  If it’s a pair of skinny jeans and they make you feel uncomfortable because they cling too tightly, perhaps look through your trousers and remove others that you know feel the same way. Repeat this process.

  
  

• Take note of colours in your wardrobe that make you feel your best. It doesn’t matter if it’s tan or bright pink, if it works for you, go with it.

  
  

• If someone gave it to you as a gift but it isn’t you, I officially give you permission to pass it on.

3// Shop quality, not quantity.

There is a lot to be said for buying pieces at fast fashion stores that you’re confident will stand the test of time with your collection. This often means being prepared to look after items as they become damaged and putting in the work to repair them.

Bought this blouse from H&M 13 years ago and have made many repairs I’ve made. I LOVE it.

However, When I was in my early 20’s, I wanted to ‘keep up’. I would simply hit up H&M and buy a bunch of the cheapest stuff that was on trend.

It didn’t take me long to realise that instead of heading to fast fashion brands and burning £200 every couple of months on clothes that would be broken and battered in a couple of months, that i didn’t really like to begin with, I could instead spend that valuable, saved up money on one, really high quality piece that I could look after and wear for years and years to come.

High quality designer clothing isn’t out of reach. You can have the good stuff too if you simply slow down your shopping and spend that hard earned, saved up pocket money on ONE curated, item to join your curated wardrobe.

4// Choose style over trend

Trends do not matter. Try to make this a new mantra.

If you’re thinking of buying into a trend, first ask yourself:

• If no one else liked this, would I?

• Do I want this because I love it?

• Do I want this because I don’t want to be left out?

If yo answered no, no, yes… you know what to do.

Take some time to think about who you look up to because of their wardrobe. You WILL quickly realise that they have taste and a unique look which has no business involving itself with trends and that is why you admire them. You can have that too. Taste.

Focus on what YOU like, what makes YOU feel good, what are YOU in love with.

5// You don’t need 20 variations of a white t shirt

You really don’t. In your heart of hearts, you KNOW you don’t. Perhaps a couple of different necklines and sleeve lengths, maybe a fitted and an oversized.

Other than that, chill. A capsule wardrobe should be simple and easy to use. The same principle goes for any area of your wardrobe. You do not need 20 different pairs of jeans.

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We have all fallen fowl of impulsive shopping. Building a capsule wardrobe is a project that will forever be ongoing. Embrace the fun and reward of passing pieces on to be adored elsewhere and hunting down the perfect piece to fill a gap in your wardrobe that works with everything you have collected and that you truly enjoy wearing.

Enjoy the process.

Love you.